Profile of differential expression and DNA methylation status in choriodecidua of women affected with severe endometriosis [DNA methylation]. Homo sapiens

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease that affects 10-20% of women in child-bearing age. It is defined by the presence of endometrial tissues outside the uterus. The causes remain elusive, but the endometrium of these patients differs profoundly from that of disease-free subjects. During pregnancy, the maternal-fetal interface is built onto decidualized endometrium. We investigated whether this interface is normal when the subjects suffer of endometriosis and showed remarkly properties of eutopic endometrium from endometriosis-affected women to spontaneously develop endometriotic-like lesions within direct contact to non-uterine tissues. Overall design: Methylation analysis was conducted on three distinct pools of three choriodecidua DNAs from women suffering of severe endometrosis and three distinct pools of healthy choriodecidua from eighteen pregnant women in total. These women were delivered at term by cesarean section for feto-pelvic disproportion or scarred uterus, after an uncomplicated pregnancy.